It seems that just when football was preparing to deliver the last rites to Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal reign, the stubborn old goat dredged up the kind of result he used to enjoy on a regular basis.
It is Rino Gattuso who must now beware the Ides of March as seven-time European champions Milan are a shadow of the force they once were, languishing in seventh place in Serie A despite spending more than £200m last summer in a bid to change their fortunes.
However, they went into Arsenal’s visit on a crest of a wave following the arrival of former midfielder Gattuso. He has transformed their season since replacing the sacked Vincenzo Montella in November, leading them on a 13-match unbeaten run and giving them faint hope of climbing into Serie A’s European qualification places.
Therefore, there was optimism among the 70,000 Rossoneri fans inside the atmospheric San Siro that Gattuso’s side could make a huge statement in front of a bigger European audience. It seemed justified as they pinned Arsenal back in the opening few minutes – but that was as difficult as it got for the Gunners. Arsenal quickly wrestled their way back into the game, their passing and movement causing uncertainty in the Milan defence and their solidity seeing the home attack quickly run out of ideas.
Photo Credit: Getty
